Drying-machine.



A W. HUT-CHENS.

I DRIVING MACHINE.

AFPLECA'HON men SEPT. 19. 1911.

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A. w. HUTCHINS. 7

DRYING MACHINE.-

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. I9, 191?- Slum coo Patenmd Mar. 12, 1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2- A. W. HUTCHiNS.

DRYING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. I9. 1911.

Patented Mar. 12, 1918.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

ARTHUR W. HUTCI-IINS, OF EDGEWOOD, RHODE ISLAND.

DRYING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed. September 19, 1917. Serial No. 192,089.

have invented certain new anduseful 1m;

provcments in DryingMachines, of which the follOWing is a specification.

This invention relates to machines for drying metal parts after havingbeen subjected to a liquid bath, and has for ts object to provide such amachine comprising a rotatable drum having means therein for ad-.

vancing the work, and also means in-the drum for forcing air through thework-parts during its passage through the drum.

A further object of this invention 1s to provide longitudinally disposedvalve controlled openings in the walls of the a1r-conducting tube,wherebythe blast may be directed onto the assembled work-parts whiletumbling in the drum..

A further object of the invention is to provide means for graduallyreducing the storage capacity in the air tube from the entrance towardthe opposite end thereof to provide a substantially uniform pressurethroughout the length of. the discharge opening.

With these and other objects iniview, the invention consists of certainnovel features of construction, as will .be more fully described, andparticularly pointed out 1n the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1- is a plan view partly in section illustrating the generalarrangement of my improved drying machine.

Fig. 2- is a diagrammatic vlew partly in section illustrating thearrangement of the valves and valve-actuating mechanism for controllingthe outlets from the central air tube.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showinga et of cam-actuated levers whichoperate the air-control valves.

Fig. 4- is a perspective view showing an end portion of one of thesections which form the inner air-conducting tube.

Fig. 5- is an end View of the air-valve operating cam.

Fig. 6 is a sectional edge View of the airvalve operating cam.

Fig. 7 is a sectional end view of the drum showing the enlargement atthe discharge end. thereof. I

Referring to the drawings, 10 designates the housing which completelyincloses the operating mechanism of my improved drying apparatus. Withinthis chamber a cylin-: der 11 is fixed to the shaft 12 by which thecylinder is rotated slowly through the worm gear 13 and worm (not shown)and short shaft 14 from the pulley 15 from any convenient source ofpower. The outer shell of this cylinder or drum is perforated to permitthe blast or drying air to pass outward therethrough after having passedthrough.

the pile of work-parts. One end of this cylinder is provided with a head16 through which a chute 17 projects for conducting the work from theoutside of the chamber to the inside of the cylinder.

At the opposite end of this cylinder a narrow portion of the wall is setoutward slightly as at 18 enlarging the cylinder and forming a shallowwork-storage pocket into which the work-parts are forced just beforethey are discharged by the rotation of the cylinder into the chute 19,which conducts them through an opening to the outside of the housing,see Fig. l, which pocket relieves congestion and so prevents the pilingor backing up of the parts at the discharge end Inorder to convey thework through the cylinder from the entrance to the discharge endthereof, 1 have provided a helically-disposed strip or plate 20 which asthe cylinder revolves acts upon the rolling, tumbling parts to advancethem from the entering end,

to the opposite end. thereof where they are discharged through the chute19. e

. In order to facilitate the drying of these parts as they pass throughthe cylinder, 1

have provided a central longitudinally disposed air-conducting tube 21which extends der and are fixed in the heads at opposite ends thereof.The edges of these sections are spaced apart leaving longitudinal slots,openings or ports 24 therethrough, which ports are designed to be closedif desired by the gate-valves 25. Each of these gatevalves is preferablyconstructed of a sheet metal strip, one edge of which is folded PatentedMar. 12, rate.

about a longitudinally-disposed rod 26 which lies adjacent one of thetube section rods-23.

Each gate is designed to swing across and close its opening.

In order to operate these valves at the proper time to open the desiredport and close the others, I have fixed an arm 27 on the outer end ofeach valve rod 26,'said arm being slotted as at 28 to receive theactuating pin 29 which is mounted in the lever 30. This lever is pivotedat 31 to the cylinder head and is provided with two laterally projectingoperating pins 32. and 33 located at opposite ends thereof.

In order to throw this lever to close and open its valve at the propertime as the cylinder slowly revolves, I have constructed a double-facedcam 34 which is held against rotation by being connected to the inletair pipe 37, one portion 35 of which cam is adapted to engage the outerpin 33 and move the lever to the position illustrated in Fig. 2,carrying the valve 25 to open position and holding it in this positionby means of the pin 33 engaging the overhanging lip 38 for aboutone-quarter of a revolution of the cylinder. The other portion 36 of thecam is designed to engage the inner pin 32 of the other lever arms tomove and hold the valves in closed position during about three-quartorsof a revolution of the drum or cylinder. The central portion of this camis removed so that the air from the inlet pipe may pass therethroughinto the tube 21.

By this construction it will be seen that but one valve is open at atime and that at point where its action is effective on the tum-.

bling work.

g It is found in practice that in order to obtain a draft ofsubstantially uniform pressure throughout the length of the cylinderthrough the open slot, that it is necessary to graduate or graduallyreduce the storage capacity of the tube.

In order to accomplish this I have provided an elongated cone-shapedmember 39, see Fig. 1, which is smallest at the air entering end andwhich gradually increases in diameter toward the opposite end thereof bywhich construction the pressure of air pass ing through the dischargeopening is substantially uniform throughout the length of the cylinder.7

In order to render most effective the pressure of air impinging upon thework-parts I have mounted the whole mechanism Within an outer casing orhousing 10 and have provided a set of heating pipes 40 within the same,and have mounted a blower 41 outside of the housing by which arrangementthe air is "drawn from the interior thereof over and around the heatingpipes 40 into the blower from which it is discharged through the pipe 37into the. central air-conducting tube 21 from which tube it isdischarged as above described directly onto the assembled or piledupwork-parts, the force of the air being such as to act with double efiectupon the moisture covering the'parts; first, the heat has a tendency toevaporate and carry away the moisture; .and second, the great force withwhich the air is blown against the parts serve not only to evaporate butto force away and drive ofi the moisture from their surfaces as theparts are tumbling and rolling over each other in the slowly rotatingdrum.

I have described a central air tube mounted within the cylinder arrangedto rotate therewith and which is provided with a plurality ofvalve-controlled slots, only one of which is designed to be open at atime, but I do not wish to be restricted to the use of this particulararrangement of air-conducting tube having a plurality of outlets andvalves as any arrangement of tube may be employed and provided with anynumber of portsor slots and which may operate either with or without theuse of valves and cams; and further it is desired to be understood thatI do not restrict myselfto the exact construction of the parts of thedevice illustrated and described, but that I reserve the privilege ofresorting to all the mechanical changes to which the device issusceptible, the invention, being defined and limited only by the termof the appended claims. t I

I claim: u 1. A machine of the character described comprising arotatable work-carrying drum having an internal helically-disposedportion, means for admitting the work at one end and discharging it fromthe opposite end of said drum, and a central tube in said drum providedwith an aperture in its side wall through which fluid is directed ontovthe assembled work during its passage through the drum.

2. A machine of the character described comprising a rotatablework-carrying drum having a perforated outer wall,wa work-advancinghelical member arranged within said drum, means for admitting the workat one end and discharging it from the opposite end of said drum, anaxially disposed air-conducting tube in said drum, said tube beingprovided with an air outlet arranged to direct the flow onto theassembled workparts in the drum. 1

'3. A machine of the character described comprisinga work-carrying drumhaving a perforated outer shell, a work-advancing member arranged withinsaid drum. means for admitting work to advance it'from the drum, meansfor rotating said drum, an axially disposed air-conveying tube in saiddrum provided with a plurallty of openings in its periphery, and meansfor closing some of said openings at predetermined periods.

4:. A machine of the character described comprising a work-carrying.drumhaving a perforated outer shell, a work-advancing helix within saiddrum, means for admitting work at one end and discharging it from theopposite end of said drum, means for rotating said drum, an axiallydisposed air-conducting tube in said drum with a plurality oflongitudinal slots in its periphery and arranged to rotate with saiddrum, and a valve for controlling each of said openings.

5. A machine of the character described comprising a rotatablework-carrying drum having a perforated outer shell, a work-advancinghelical member arranged within said drum, means for admitting the workat one end and discharging it from the opposite end of said drum, .anaxially disposed air-conducting tube in said drum with one or moreelongated peripheral slots arranged to direct the flow onto theassembled drum in the cylinder, and means within said tube for graduallyreducing its storage area from the inlet toward the opposite endthereof.

6. A machine of the character described comprising a work-carrying drumhaving a perforated outer shell, a work-advancing helix within saiddrum, means for admitting work at one end and discharging it from theopposite end of said drum, means for rotating said drum, an axiallydisposed air-conducting tube in said drum With a plurality oflongitudinal slots in its periphery and arranged to rotate with saiddrum, a set of independently operated valves for controlling saidopenings, and a cone-shaped member within said tube for graduallyreducing its storage capacity from the inlet toward the opposite endthereof.

7. A machine of the character described comprising a work-carrying drum,means for rotating the drum to tumble the work therein, means foradvancing the work iongitudinally through said drum, an axially disposedair-conveying tube in said drum provided with a plurality of openings inits periphery, a valve for controlling each opening, and cam-actuatedmechanism for operating said valves.

8. A machine of the character described comprising a Work-carrying drum,means for rotating the drum to tumble the work therein, means foradvancing the work longitudinally through said drum, an axiallydisposedair-conveying tube in said drum rotatable therewith and provided with aplurality of openings in its periphery, a valve for controlling eachopening, and a cam for operating said valve to open each successively ata predetermined point in the revolution of said tube to direct the airinto the assembled parts in the drum.

9. A machine of the character described comprising a rotatableWork-carrying drum having an internal helically disposed portion, meansfor admitting the work at one end and discharging it from the oppositeend of said drum, said drum being also provided with a work-storingenlargement at the discharge end thereof, and a central tube in saiddrum from which air is forced through the work during its passagethrough the drum.

10. A machine of the character described comprising a work-carrying drumhaving a perforated outer shell, a work-advancing helix Within saiddrum, means for admitting work at one end and discharging it from theopposite end of said drum, said drum being also provided With awork-storing enlargement at the discharge end thereof, means forrotating said drum, an axially disposed airconducting tube in said drumwith a plurality of longitudinal slots in its periphery and arranged torotate with said drum, and a valve for controlling each of saidopenings.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of a Witness.

ARTHUR W. HUTCHINS.

Witness:

HOWARD E. BARLOW.

Copies at this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe "Commissioner at Patents,

Washington, D. G.

